Seam buster



Jan. 30, 1968 THOMPSON 3,366,292

S EAM BUSTER Filed Aug. 1, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheefl 2 I Hugh 'L.Thompson F IG 2.

BY M M VINVENTOR Jan. 30, 1968 H. L. THOMPSON 3,366,292

SEAM BUSTER Filed Aug. 1,1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 II '1 o ?,7 w 00 r' I m N\ t m 8 3 N m m o H (9 A i/fi Q l u. 4 J a, q I LL l LI. (9' E INVENTOR Hugh L. Thompson BY 7 A H. L. THOMPSON SEAM BUSTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Aug. 1, 1966 a I o o R n m. w: N. 2. WW I mm w m wh 0 8 .L K aw w O m m m. 2 2. 2u .2. Y mm; 8 in W 8 8 mm 1 m /C/ Ill/ll A mwxrw 4 ATTORNEK United States Patent 3,366,292 SEAM BUSTER Hugh L. Thompson, Waco, Tex. Filed Aug. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 569,475 30 Claims. (Cl. 22373) This invention is a novel so-called seam buster, the same being an improvement upon U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,582,151, issued jointly to myself and Norman V. Null on J an. 8, 1952, said patent disclosing a seam presser having a pair of bucks over which the legs of a pair of trousers are adapted to be sleeved and which are mounted on an oscillatory head for bringing the outer seams of the pants legs into position without readjusting the legs on the bucks, the pressing bucks being of sufficient size and length to receive tubular portions of a garment, for example, the legs of a pair of trousers so that the outer side seam of one leg can be located along the pressing face on the upper and rearmost buck, while the inside seam of the other leg can be arranged along the upper pressing face of the lower and foremost buck when the bucks are in pressing position.

More particularly, the aforesaid Patent 2,582,151 disclosed a machine for pressing open the inner and outer leg seams of a pair of trousers or similar garment including, a support, an oscillatory head, means for mounting the oscillatory head on the support for movement about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation, a pair of pressing bucks for sleeving thereover the respective leg portions of the trousers, each of said pressing bucks having pressing faces on opposite sides thereof adapted to back the respective outer and inner seams of said legs, means mounting the pressing bucks on said head in substantially spaced apart parallel relation with the pressing faces on common sides of the respective bucks located in spaced parallel planes on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said head, and means for effecting oscillation of said head to bring simultaneously the common faces of the pair of pressing bucks alternately uppermost to first support an inner seam of one leg and the outer seam of the other leg, and to support the outer seam of said one leg and the inner seam of said other leg in pressing position without removal of said garment.

One object of my present invention is to provide an improvement on said prior patent in that it comprises a machine which utilizes both steam and vacuum in the bucks, thereby producing an ideal seam buster for materials such as permanent-press materials which are now popularly used in the pants industry. The seams above referred to are the leg and seat seams on mens pants, and also the front seam as well as the leg and seat seams on womens pants of various descriptions. Pants are sewed wrong-side-out, and before the manufacturer turns them right-side-out he must press the edges of the cloth open to do a good job, and this pressing operation is commonly known as seam busting.

There are four main leg seams to a pair of pants. Each leg of the pants is made of two pieces of cloth, one being laid on top of another, and the sides then sewed together about /2" from the edge. The sewing of the pants seam is completed and is finished wrong-side-out. Before it is turned right-side-out these /2" edges along the seams must be opened up and pressed flat. The object of the seam buster is to accomplish this easily, quickly, and well. So far, no seam buster has been able to do this in production, and to do a good job at as low a cost as my novel seam buster, which uses the oscillating principle utilizing one buck to each pants leg. In all cases the actual pressing of the seam is done by an operator with a hand steam iron. The value of the seam buster is in quickly positioning the leg seams on a suitable buck for pressing.

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Cotton, and some other fabrics, are easily pressed on a wooden buck. Some synthetics and wool when pressed tend to return to their origin-a1 position. Additional heat is helpful in setting the pressed-over edge to maintain same in position until the pants are turned right-side-out and fully pressed. For this purpose I utilize in my seam buster steam heated bucks.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improvement on said prior patent by utilizing vacuum in the bucks. With the advent of permanent-press materials it has become more difficult .to make these materials retain the press put in the edge of the material by the seam buster. In order to overcome this difiiculty, I have also utilized vacuum which is pulled out of the bucks through rows of holes in them, along the bucks where the edges of the leg seams are pressed. This vacuum does two things. It pulls down and holds down the abovementioned /t" edge, and at the same time dries it, since it will have become wet by condensed steam. When dried, this /2 edge stays in the position into which it was pressed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type which uses electricity, compressed air, steam, and vacuum. The electricity is used to control a valve in the compressed air line. The compressed air operates a piston in a cylinder, which in turn causes the shaft to turn through The shaft is attached to a head in which are fastened two bucks, long enough for the pants legs. By this means the shaft is also turned the opposite direction of 180 so that it oscillates, causing first the top of the bucks to be uppermost and then the bottom of the bucks to be uppermost. The steam is utilized to heat the bucks by running through the bucks, the steam condensing and being drained out. The vacuum is drawn through perforations in the center of the bucks and therefore the suction holds down the edges of the seams while pressing and drying, and the suction also drying these edges.

Other minor objects of the invention will be hereinafter set forth.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof, to enable others familiar with the art to adopt and use the same, and will summarize in the claims the novel features of construction and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of my novel seam buster.

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view, on reduced scale, showing the legs of a pair of pants slipped or sleeved upon the upper and lower bucks respectively.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of my novel seam buster, a portion of the casing being broken away to show the underlying parts.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the seam buster, showing a portion of the pedestal broken away, and indicating in full and dotted lines different positions of the parts when the bucks have been alternately oscillated through 180".

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the seam buster showing the pedestral in cross-section to illustrate the oscillating means for the bucks.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 6-6, FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 77, FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged section on the line 88, FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9-9, FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of a buck having separate top and bottom vacuum compartments with valve means for cutting off the vacuum in the lower compartment.

FIG. 11 is a transverse section on the line 1111, FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a transverse section on the line 1212, FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an elevation of a buck having knobs at its outer end for turning the pants leg thereon during removal.

FIG. 14 is an end elevation of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a modification of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16is an end view of FIG. 15. 4

As shown, my seam buster comprises a hollow pedestal 1 of rectangular cross-section, said pedestal being mounted upon a base plate 2 and being open at its upper end. A removable cover plate 3 closes the upper open end of the pedestal, the same being secured by removable screws 3a or the like, said cover plate 3 preferably comprising an aluminum casting having a pair of depending lugs 3b extending down into the pedestal 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Journaled in bushings 4a in the lugs 3b is a hollow shaft 4 which is closed at both ends by plugs 41), said shaft 4 extending through the side walls of the pedestal 1 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the shaft 4 being removable from the pedestal 1 with the cover plate 3 when the latter is unscrewed and removed from its normal position closing the top of the pedestal 1. Hollow shaft 4 forms a duct for placing under suction or vacuum certain longitudinal compartments in the pressing bucks hereinafter described, shaft 4 being alternatingly oscillatable in the lugs 3b through an arc of 180 as hereinafter described.

On one end of hollow shaft 4 exteriorly of the pedestal 1 is a buck-carrying head 5 which is fixedly mounted on the shaft 4 and is oscillatable therewith, said head 5 being shown more particularly in FIGS. 6 and 7. Head 5 is hollow and airtight, same being closed on both sides, and includes a hollow substantially rectangular vertically disposed central portion 5a disposed diametrically of the shaft 4, one outer end portion of the central portion 5a being flanged at right angles in one direction as at 512, while the opposite end portion of the central portion 5a is flanged at right angles in the opposite direction as at 5c, FIGS. 6 and 7, the flanged portions 5b and 50 being equally spaced from the axis of the hollow shaft 4 as shown in FIG. 6, and extending in parallel relation one above and the other below the shaft 4 in opposite directions, for the purpose hereinafter described.

By this arrangement, when the central portion 5a of the head 5 is in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in which the central portion is disposed vertically, the flanged portion 512 will be disposed above the hollow shaft 4 and away from an operator standing in front of I the machine with the pedestal 1 disposed at the operators left, while the flanged portion 50 will be disposed the same distance below the hollow shaft 4 and disposed adjacent to the said operator. However, when the central portion 5a is rotated through 180 the flanged portion 50 will be disposed above the hollow shaft 4 and away from the operator, while the flanged portion 5b will be disposed below the hollow shaft 4 and adjacent to the operator standing in front of the machine with the pedestal disposed at the operators left. The rotation of the shaft 4 and head 5 is restricted to an oscillating movement of 180 as hereinafter described, for the purpose specified. In the angles formed between the central portion 5a and the flanged portions 5b and 5c are inclined plates 5d having closed box ends which are welded in position on the head 5 to form chambers communicating with the interior of the head 5 through bores 5e, FIG. 6, in the walls of the central portion 5a, and through holes 5), FIG. 6, extending through the inner walls of the flanged portions Sb-Sc, whereby the spaces below the inclined plates 5d will be in direct communication with the interior of the hollow head 5, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Extending from the outer face of the head 5, as shown in the drawings, are two bucks 6 of identical construction, the same being shown in cross-section in FIGS. 6 and 8. Each buck is of rectangular cross-section and is adapted to fit between the walls of the respective flanged portions 511 and 5c of the head 5, and are welded thereto so as to be integral with the head 5 and rotatable therewith. As shown, each buck 6 is provided with two longitudinally disposed internal partitions 6a dividing the interior of the buck into three longitudinal and parallel compartments A, B and C, FIGS. 6 and 8, extending the major portion of the length of the bucks, and outer ends of the bucks being closed by wedge-shaped tips 6b.

The two outer compartments A and C are imperforate and are adapted to be supplied with steam from a suitable source in order to heat the bucks 6, the outer ends of the compartment C and A as shown in FIG. 5 being interconnected by cross-tubes or ducts 7 whereby the steam which is injected into the compartment C may be transferred from the outer end of the compartment C into the outer end of the related compartment A in order to heat the compartments A and C and the related buck, the condensate in the compartments A from the steam being extracted at the inner end of the ducts A, as hereinafter described. Thus it is only necessary to introduce the steam for heating purposes into the compartments C, the compartments A being heated by the steam which is passed over through ducts 7 from the compartments C into the compartments A.

In order to supply steam to the compartments A and C of each buck 6, I provide on the side of the pedestal 1 adjacent the head 5 a steam inlet 9 connected to a suitable source of steam supply under pressure, the steam from inlet 9 passing through a pop-off safety valve 10 into a steam regulator 11, and the steam then passing through a steam inlet duct 12, FIG. 3, which duct 12 is flexible to permit oscillation of the head 5, and passing into a steam box 13 mounted on the head 5, from whence the steam is conducted by branch pipes 14, FIG. 7, into the inner ends of the compartments C, the steam passing through cross-over ducts 7 into compartments A of both bucks to heat the bucks while the excess steam and condensate from the compartments A of both bucks 6 is removed from the bucks through pipes 15, FIG. 7, leading into a condensate box 16, FIG. 3, mounted on the head 5 from whence the condensate and residual steam is withdrawn through a flexible hose or pipe 17, FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, extending down the adjacent face of the pedestal 1 to a steam outlet 18, FIG. 3.

The central compartments B throughout the major portions of the length of the bucks 6 are perforated as at 8, FIGS. 1, 5 and 8, and compartment B is subjected to suction for the purpose of creating a vacuum therein, air being drawn through the central compartments B of the bucks through the holes 8, as hereinafter described, the suction holding down the edges of the busted pants seam on the related buck while pressing and drying, and also drying the edges of the busted seam.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a clapper valve 50 is provided in each compartment B to concentrate the vacuum therein at the top of the compartment where it is most needed, said valve 50 comprising a length of plastic strip substantially as wide as the compartment B and of length a little shorter than the length of the compartment and of height substantially half the inside height of the compartment so that the valve 50 cannot turn crosswise inside the compartment. When the buck 6 is positioned for pressing the clapper valve 50 lays on the bottom of the compartment B thereby cutting off, at least partially, the vacuum through the bottom holes 8 where it is not needed, but when the buck 6 turns over the clapper valve 50 falls to the bottom (which was the top) and again cuts off the bottom holes 8, leaving the top holes 8 open for suction of air therethrough by the vacuum creating means, which top holes directly underlie the pants seam to be busted by the hand operated steam iron.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. 3 and 9, the vacuum creating means for the bucks 6 comprises a hollow head 20 in the form of a T-coupling disposed exteriorly of the pedestal 1 and surrounding the end of the hollow shaft 4 opposite from the head 5, the shaft 4 rotatably passing through the hollow head 20 which is maintained on the end of the shaft 4 by means of a retaining washer 21 secured by a bolt 22 to the closed end of shaft 4, the hollow head 20 being held against free rotation on the shaft 4 by its connection with a vacuum or suction tube 23 leading from a suitable source (not shown) of vacuum or suction. The opposite sides of the head 20 are provided with seals 24 (FIG. 5) or the like to prevent entrance of air between the shaft 4 and into the hollow head 20; and in the hollow shaft 4 between the seals 24 are holes 25, as shown more particularly in FIG. 9, whereby the suction from the vacuum tube 23 is established through head 20 and holes 25 into the hollow shaft 4 from which the suction extends through other holes 26 in the other end of shaft 4 into the interior of the hollow buck carrying head 5, whereupon the suction extends through the holes 56, 5 (FIG. 6) of head 5 into the inner ends of the central suction compartments B of. the bucks 6, which, as hereinbefore stated, are perforated as at 8 on their tops and bottoms. Thus when suction is applied to the vacuum tube 23 air will be drawn in through the holes 8 into the central compartments B of the ducts of each buck 6, the suction holding down the edges of the pressed and busted seams P1, P2, in the pant legs P (FIG. 2) while the seams are being handpressed, and also drying the edges of the pressed and busted seams which may have become moistened by the steam from the hand iron or presser.

Means are provided for alternately oscillating the hollow shaft 4 carrying the head 5 and bucks 6 through an angle of 180". As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, I provide a lever 27 which is keyed at one end to the hollow shaft 4 within the pedestal 1 between the lugs 3b of top 3, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, said lever 27 being so arranged that in the position thereof shown in full lines in FIG. 4 the head 5 and the bucks 6 will assume the position shown in FIG. 1 wherein the rearmost buck 6 is disposed above and behind the foremost buck 6, but when the lever 27 is swung downwardly through an arc of 180 into the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, the bucks will be turned upside-down and the positions of the bucks 6 will be reversed, i.e., the buck which was previously rearmost and uppermost will then be disposed upside-down and will be disposed lowermost and foremost with respect to an operator or attendant standing in front of the machine with the pedestal 1 disposed to his left. In order to prevent undue noise when the lever 27 is oscillated, I preferably provide a neoprene or other bumper 28 (FIG. 4) secured to the underside of the top 3 immediately above the lever 27.

The means for operating the lever 24 to cause its oscillation through an angle of 180 is mounted on a plate 29 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) which is suspended by rods 30 from the depending lugs 3b of the removable top 3 to form a rigid platform removable from the pedestal 1 with the top 3. On the top of the plate 29 is a pivot eye 31 in which is pivoted a clevis at the lower end of an air cylinder 32, which cylinder carries a piston rod 33 which is pivotally connected ,to a pin 34 at the outer end of the lever 27. Within the cylinder 32 is a piston (not shown) adapted, when a puff of compressed air is admitted into the cylinder 32 above the piston, to suddenly pull down on the outer end of the lever 27 when at either end of its arcuate swing, causing the lever to rotate the hollow shaft 4 downwardly through an arc of 180, i.e., from the position shown in full lines in FIG. 4, to the position shown in dotted lines therein, thus turning upside-down and reversing the positions of the bucks 6 carrying the legs of the pants P. I

The compressed air supplied to the cylinder 32 is directed through an inlet 35 in the cover 3, and passes downwardly through a pipe 36 and laterally through pipe 37 (FIG. 3) into an air regulator 39 (FIG. 3) mounted on the underside of plate 29, the air passing then through an air gauge 40 into an air control valve 41 mounted on the underside of the plate 29, which valve 41 is connected by a duct 42 with the top of the cylinder 32 above the piston therein, and is connected by a second duct 43 with the bottom of the cylinder 32. The air in the control valve 41 is controlled by a solenoid valve 44 mounted on the underside of the plate 29, which valve 44 controls the air control valve 41, the solenoid valve 44 being electrically activated through leads 45 extending from a source of electric current through an electric outlet box 46 on the side of the pedestal 1, said leads 45 having a branch 47 extending to a micro-switch 48 mounted on a steam hand iron 51 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3 for operation on the bucks 6.

Micro-switch 48 is mounted on the hand steam iron 51 which is used in conjunction with the seam buster to press the leg seams so that when the switch 48 is actuated the solenoid 44 will be simultaneously actuated, thereby admitting a puff of air to the duct 42 and into the top of the cylinder 32, so as to snap the piston rod 33 downwardly, thereby snapping the lever 27 through the arc of the movement of the piston rod 33 of the cylinder 32 causing a sudden pull on the lever 27, thereby causing the shaft 4 to rotate 180, first in one direction when the solenoid 44 is actuated, and then back the next time it is actuated. The inertia of the bucks 6 and head 5 during such oscillation cause rotation through a complete 180 arc. If the air pressure was left on the cylinder 32 the heads 5 and bucks 6 would be stopped in their oscillating movement before reaching 180.

In operation, the operator will stand facing the bucks 6 with the pedestal 1 disposed at his left side. He picks up a pair of pants P and pulls the respective legs over the bucks 6 of the seam buster, one leg over each buck, as shown in FIG. 2. These bucks are properly spaced horizontally and vertically to fit the pants legs so that the inner and outer leg seams P1 and P2 will fall into their proper pressing position in which the outseam P1 of the pants leg pulled over the upper buck 6 (FIG. 2) will lay on the top of that buck, while the inseam P2 of the pants leg pulled over the lower buck will lay on the top of that buck. The pants legs are therefore, with slight adjustment by the operator, in position for pressing. The bucks 6 are heated by the stream passing through them from the stream inlet pipe 12 into the outer buck compartment A and C, the excess stream and condensate being removed from the buck compartments A and C, the excess steam and condensate being removed through the pipe 17 as previously described. When the pants P are so positioned on the bucks the operator will pick up a hand steam iron 51 in his right hand and will open the edges of a leg seam P1 or P2 at one end thereof using the fingers of his left hand. He then presses these edges out flat on the bucks using the hand steam iron, from one end to the other of one leg. He then does the same pressing operation on the other leg, one outseam and one inseam.

As previously stated, the micro-switch 48 is mounted on the hand iron 51, and it controls the solenoid valve 44 which actuates the air valve 41, allowing compressed air to pass into the top of cylinder 32 which causes the hollow shaft 4 and with it the head 5 and bucks 6 to turn through an arc of 180.

After the operator has pressed the outseam P1 of one leg and the inseam P2 of the other leg, as above described, he again touches the micro-switch 48 on the hand iron 51 and the bucks 6 are rotated through an arc of 180, thus turning the bucks over. As the bucks are on the inside of the pants legs the pants turn over and what was the bottom of the two bucks is now the top. The

outseam of the pants leg which has had its inseam pressed is now mounted on the top of the buck which is now in the upper buck position, and the inseam of the other leg is on the top of the buck in the lower buck position, and thus these seams are now also in position to be pressed. The operator then presses these seams with the same procedure hereinabove described. He then puts down the hand steam iron, strips the pants P from the bucks 6 and starts over again using another pair of pants. The operator can press both the front seam and back seam of the pants on the end 61) of one buck either before or after pressing the leg seams if desired.

Instead of using the clapper valve 50 shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, in the middle or vacuum compartment B of each buck 6 for cutting off entrance of air thereinto through the lower perforations 8 while permitting air to be drawn through the upper perforations 8 by the suction means, I may use the modification shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 in which each middle compartment B has a longitudinally horizontal division plate 55 therein which runs substantially the full length of the middle or vacuum compartmeat and divides the compartment into separate upper and lower chambers 56 and 57, FIGS. 10 and 12, the top face of the upper compartment 56 containing the perforations 8 as shown in FIG. 1, and the bottom face of the lower compartment 57 being similarly perforated.

A valve chamber for the chambers 56 and 57 is provided at the inner end of each buck 6, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, defined by a front wall 58, a rear wall 59, and spaced horizontal walls 60 and 61 between the walls 58 and 59, the valve chamber being located between the walls 6a which separate the outer steam compartments A and C from the vacuum compartment B.

As shown in FIG. 10, the outer wall 58 is perforated to establish communication between the valve chamber above wall 61 and the upper vacuum compartment 56, and also perforated to establish communication between the valve chamber below wall 60 and the lower vacuum compartment 57. The rear wall 59 of the central compartment of the valve chamber is perforated as at 62, which perforation is preferably screened as at 63 (FIGS. 10 and 11) while the horizontal walls 60 and 61 are provided with central holes 64. Between the horizontal walls 60 and 61 of the valve chamber is placed a rubber or other plastic ball 65 which is confined in the valve chamber between the plates 60 and 61 and is adapted to normally seat upon the lowermost wall 60 or 61 and to close the opening 64 therein to cut off suction from the lowermost compartment 57 when the suction means is operated, but permitting the suction within shaft 4 and head to enter the ball chamber of the valve through opening 62 and to communicate through opening 64 and the perforation in plate 58 with the interior of the uppermost compartment 56 so that the suction means will suck in air through the perforations 8 in the uppermost chamber 56 only during the seam busting operation. The use of the screen 63 prevents the ball 65 from closing the opening 62 which leads directly to the suction means. However, when the buck 6 is reversed and the chamber 57 is uppermost, the ball 65 will close the opening in the horizontal wall 61 and the suction means will draw in air only through the perforations 8 in the outer face of the chamber 57, which face is then disposed uppermost.

As shown in FIGS. 13-16, means are also provided on the outer ends of the bucks 6 to engage the lower end of the pants leg while being pressed thereon and to turn the leg right-side-out as the leg is being slipped from the buck. In FIGS. 13 and 14 the turning means comprises knobs 70 on the upper and lower faces of bucks 6, while in FIGS. 15 and 16 the means comprises hooks 71 similarly located on the outer ends of the bucks 6, the upper knob or hook being adapted to engage the lower end of the pants leg carried by the buck which is pressed wrongside-out, and as the operator strips the pants leg from the buck 6 the knob 70 or hook 71 will restrain the lower end of the pants leg and thereby cause the leg to be turned right-side-out as the leg is being stripped from the buck.

I do not limit my invention to the exact form shown in the drawings, for obviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A seam buster for pressing open the inner and outer leg seams of a pair of pants or similar garment, comprising a hollow pedestal having a cover; an oscillatory horizontal hollow shaft extending through said pedestal in spaced relation to said cover; a hollow head fixed on one end of the shaft; a pair of pressing bucks for sleeving thereover the respective leg portions of said pants, each of said bucks having pressing faces on opposite sides thereof adapted to back the respective outer and inner seams of said legs; said bucks being mounted on said head in spaced parallel relation located in spaced parallel planes on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said head; means for effecting oscillation of said head to simultaneously bring the common faces of a pair of pressing bucks alternately uppermost to first support an inner seam of one leg and the outer seam of the other leg and to then support the outer seam of said one leg and the inner seam of said other leg in pressing position; each buck being hollow and having three parallel longitudinally extending compartments, the outer ends of the outer compartments communicating, and the pressing faces of the buck in each of the middle compartments being perforated; means for introducing steam into the outer compartments of each buck to heat the buck; means to withdraw the excess steam and condensate from said outer compartments; and means for setting up suction in the middle compartment of each buck to hold down and dry the edges of the pressed scams.

2. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, said cover having depending lugs on its underside in which the shaft is journalcd; a plate supported from said lugs within the pedestal; and said oscillating means being supported by said plate within the pedestal, whereby when the cover is removed the shaft and its oscillating means will be rcmoved therewith from the pedestal and will be exposed for convenient adjustment.

3. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, said means for setting up suction in the middle compartment of each buck comprising a second hollow head around the hollow shaft spaced from the first head; means for sealing the second head against entrance of air thcreinto along the shaft; a duct connecting the interior of the second head with a source of vacuum; the ends of the hollow shaft being closed; ports in the walls of the hollow shaft in way of the first and second heads; and other ports in the wall of the first head adjacent the inner ends of the middle compartments of the bucks to establish communication from the second head through the shaft and first head to the middle buck compartments.

4. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, said means for introducing steam into the bucks comprising a steam box mounted on the first head, a steam inlet duct having a safety valve and steam regulator therein connected to said box; branch ducts connecting the box with the inner end of one outer compartment respectively of each buck; and said steam withdrawing means comprising a condensate box mounted on said first head; other branch ducts connecting the condensate box with the inner end of the other outer compartment respectively of each buck; and a condensate outlet duct leading from said condensate box.

5. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, said first hollow head comprising a central portion closed on both sides and disposed diametrically of the shaft, one outer end portion being flanged in one direction, and the other end portion being flanged in the other direction, the flanged portions being equally spaced from the shaft; said bucks being fixedly connected at one end to said flanged portions and extending parallel with the axis of the shaft; inclined plates having closed end walls secured in the angles formed between the flanged portions and the central portion to form chambers communicating through perforations with the interior of the central portion and with the middle compartments of the bucks.

6. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 5, said bucks each being of rectangular cross-section, a pair of spaced longitudinally extending partitions therein forming said three compartments; the two outer compartments being imperforate, and the pressing faces in way of the middle compartment being perforated; and ducts connecting the outer ends of said outer compartments to transfer the steam from one outer compartment to the other.

7. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, said oscillating means comprising a lever keyed on said shaft adapted to contact stop means in both positions of the 180 arcuate swing thereof; a fixed plate below the lever having a pivot eye thereon; a compressed air cylinder having its lower end pivoted in said eye and carrying a piston therein provided with a piston rod pivotally connected with the outer end of said lever; and means for admitting a puff of compressed air into the upper end of the cylinder above the piston to cause the piston rod to alternately jerk the lever downwardly through an arc of 180, the inertia of the head and bucks causing the shaft to rotate through a complete 180 arc, thereby oscillating the shaft first in one direction when the cylinder is actuated and then in the other direction when the cylinder is next actuated.

8. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 7, said admitting means comprising a compressed air inlet pipe, an air regulator on said plate receiving said compressed air; an air control valve on said plate receiving the air from said regulator; ducts connecting the control valve with the top and bottom of the cylinder respectively; and means for actuating the air control valve to oscillate said shaft.

9. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 8, said means for actuating the control valve comprising a solenoid valve mounted on said plate and connected by electric leads to a source of electric current; and a micro-switch connected in said leads, said micro-switch being mounted on a hand steam iron used in conjunction with the seam buster to control the swinging of the shaft.

10. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, means in the middle compartment of each buck for preventing entrance of air thereinto through the lower perforations while permitting air to be drawn in through the upper perforations by the suction means.

11. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 10, said preventing means comprising a clapper valve in each middle compartment of substantially the same width and length as said compartment but of less height and adapted to lay on the bottom of the compartment and to close the bottom perforations.

12. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 10, said middle compartment having separate upper and lower chambers communicating at their inner ends respectively with a valve chamber having a central portion connected directly with the suction means, said central portion being defined by walls each having a perforation therein; and said preventing means comprising a ball in the central portion adapted to seat upon and close the perforation in the lower wall while permitting air to be drawn into the perforations in the upper chamber by said suction means.

13. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 1, means on the outer ends of the bucks to engage the lower end of the pants leg thereon and to turn the leg right-side-out as the leg is being stripped from the buck.

14. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 13, said means comprising knobs on the top and bottom of the bucks.

10 15. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 13, said means comprising hooks on the top and bottom of the bucks.

16. A seam buster for pressing open the inner and outer .leg seams of a pair of pants or similar garment comprising a hollow pedestal having an open upper end; a removable cover for said open end; an oscillatory horizontal hollow shaft extending through said pedestal in spaced relation to said cover; a hollow head fixed on one end of the shaft; a pair of pressing bucks for sleeving thereover the respective leg portions of said pants, each of said bucks having pressing faces on opposite sides thereof adapted to back the respective outer and inner seams of said legs; said bucks being mounted on said head in spaced parallel relation located in spaced parallel planes on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said head; means for effecting oscillation of said head to simultaneously bring the common faces of a pair of pressing bucks alternately uppermost to first support an inner seam of one leg and the outer seam of the other leg and to then support the outer seam of said one leg and the inner seam of said other leg in pressing position; each buck being hollow and having three parallel longitudinally extending compartments, the outer ends of the outer compartments communicating, and the pressing faces of the bucks in way of the middle compartments being perforated; means for introducing steam into the inner end of an outer compartment of each buck to heat the buck, means for withdrawing excess steam and condensate from the inner end of the other outer compartment of each buck; and means for setting up suction in the middle compartment of each buck to hold down and dry the edges of the pressed seams.

17. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, said cover having depending lugs on its underside in which the shaft is journaled; a plate supported from said lugs within the pedestal; and said oscillating means being supported by said plate within the pedestal, whereby when the cover is removed the shaft and its oscillating means will be removed therewith from the pedestal and will be exposed for convenient adjustment.

18. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, said means for setting up suction in the middle compartment of each buck comprising a second hollow head around the end portion of the hollow shaft opposite from th: first head; seals for preventing entrance of air thereinto along the shaft; a duct connecting the interior of the second head with a source of vacuum; the ends of the hollow shaft being closed; ports in the walls of the hollow shaft in way of the first and second heads; and other ports in the Wall of the first head adjacent the inner ends of the middle compartments of the bucks to establish communication from the second head through the shaft and first head to the middle buck compartments.

19. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, said means for introducing steam into the bucks comprising a steam box mounted on the first head, a steam inlet duct having a safety valve and steam regulator therein connected to said box; branch ducts connecting the box with the inner end of one outer compartment respectively of each buck; and said steam Withdrawing means comprising a condensate box mounted on said first head; other branch ducts connecting the condensate box with the inner end of the other outer compartment respectively of each buck; and a condensate outlet duct leading from said condensate box.

20. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, said first hollow head comprising a central portion closed on both sides and disposed diametrically of the shaft, one outer end portion being flanged at right angles in one direction, and the other end portion being flanged at right angles in the other direction, the flanged portions being equally spaced from the shaft; said bucks being fixedly connected at one end to said flanged portions and extending parallel with the axis of the shaft; inclined plates having closed end walls secured in the angles formed between the flanged portions and the central por- 11 tion to form chambers communicating through perforations with the interior of the central portion and with the middle compartments of the bucks.

21. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 20, said bucks each being of rectangular cross-section, a pair of spaced longitudinally extending partitions therein forming said three compartments; the two outer compartments being imperforate, and the pressing faces in way of the middle compartment bcing perforated; and ducts connecting the outer ends of said outer compartments to transfer the steam from one outer compartment to the other.

22. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, said oscillating means comprising a lever keyed on said shaft intermediate the lugs of the cover adapted to contact the underside of the cover in both positions of the 180 arcuate swing thereof; a bumper secured to the underside of the cover above the lever; a fixed plate within the pedestal carried by the cover having a pivot eye thereon; a compressed air cylinder having its lower end pivoted in said eye and carrying a piston therein provided with a piston rod pivotally connected with the outer end of said lever; and means for admitting a puff of compressed air into the upper end of the cylinder above the piston to cause the piston rod to alternately jerk the lever downwardly through an arc of 180, the inertia of the heads and bucks causing the shaft to rotate through a complete 180 are, thereby oscillating the shaft first in one direction when the cylinder is actuated and then in the other direction when the cylinder is next actuated.

23. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 22, said admitting means comprising a compressed air inlet pipe extending through said cover, an air regulator on said plate receiving said compressed air; an air control valve on said plate receiving the air from said regulator; ducts connecting the control valve with the top and bottom of the cylinder respectively; and means for actuating the air control valve to oscillate said shaft.

24. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 23, said means for actuating the control valve comprising a solenoid valve mounted on said plate and connected by electric leads to a source of electric current; and a microswitch connected in said leads, said micro-switch being mounted on a hand steam iron used in conjunction with the seam buster to control the swinging of the shaft.

25. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, means in the middle compartment of each buck for preventing entrance of air thereinto through the lower perforations while permitting air to be drawn in through the upper perforations by the suction means.

26. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 25, said preventing means comprising a clapper valve in each middle compartment of substantially the same width and length as said compartment but of less height and adapted to lay on the bottom of the compartment and to close the bottom perforations.

27. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 25, said middle compartment having separate upper and lower chambers communicating at th:ir inner ends respectively with a valve chamber having a central portion connected directly with the suction means, said central portion being defined by walls each having a perforation therein; and said preventing means comprising a ball in the central portion adapted to seat upon and close the perforation in the lower wall while permitting air to be drawn into the perforations in the upper chamber by said suction means.

28. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 16, means on the outer ends of the bucks to engage the lower end of the pants leg thereon and to turn the leg right-side-out as the leg is stripped from the buck.

29. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 28, said means comprising knobs on the top and bottom of the bucks.

30. In a seam buster as set forth in claim 28, said means comprising hooks on the top and bottom of the bucks.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,042,367 10/1912 Ogg 223-42 2,531,599 11/1950 Bader ct al 22373 X 2,582,151 l/l952 Null et al. 38-435 2,719,422 10/1955 Golden 223-73 X 3,310,895 3/1967 Wcingarten 38-16 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Examiner. 

1. A SEAM BUSTER FOR PRESSING OPEN THE INNER AND OUTER LEG SEAMS OF A PAIR OF PANTS OR SIMILAR GARMENT, COMPRISING A HOLLOW PEDESTAL HAVING A COVER; AN OSCILLATORY HORIZONTAL HOLLOW SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PEDESTAL IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID COVER; A HOLLOW HEAD FIXED ON ONE END OF THE SHAFT; A PAIR OF PRESSING BUCKS FOR SLEEVING THEREOVER THE RESPECTIVE LEG PORTIONS OF SAID PANTS, EACH OF SAID BUCKS HAVING PRESSING FACES ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF ADAPTED TO BACK THE RESPECTIVE OUTER AND INNER SEAMS OF SAID LEGS; SAID BUCKS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID HEAD IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION LOCATED IN SPACED PARALLEL PLANES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID HEAD; MEANS FOR EFFECTING OSCILLATION OF SAID HEAD TO SIMULTANEOUSLY BRING THE COMMON FACES OF A PAIR OF PRESSING BUCKS ALTERNATELY UPPERMOST TO FIRST SUPPORT AND INNER SEAM OF ONE LEG AND THE OUTER SEAM OF THE OTHER LEG AND TO THEN SUPPORT THE OUTER SEAM OF SAID ONE LEG AND THE INNER SEAM OF SAID OTHER LEG IN PRESSING POSITION; EACH BUCK BEING HOLLOW AND HAVING THREE PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY, EXTENDING COMPARTMENTS, THE OUTER ENDS OF THE OUTER COMPARTMENTS COMMUNICATING, AND THE PRESSING FACES OF THE BUCK IN EACH OF THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENTS BEING PERFORATED; MEANS FOR INTRODUCING STEAM INTO THE OUTER COMPARTMENTS OF EACH BUCK TO HEAT THE BUCK; MEANS TO WITHDRAW THE EXCESS STEAM AND CONDENSATE FROM SAID OUTER COMPARTMENTS; AND MEANS FOR SETTING SUCTION IN THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT OF EACH BUCK TO HOLD DOWN AND DRY THE EDGES OF THE PRESSED SEAMS. 